In Pokémon GO trainers celebrated an important change in wild spawns in recent days. But now it is clear: it was indeed a mistake and it will disappear again. We at MeinMMO show you what this is about and what frustrates the players particularly.
Update, 06/29/2023: In the meantime, Game Director Michael Steranka has commented more specifically on the topic. You can learn more about the decision concerning the wilderness change here.
The original article continues here.
What change is it about? With the update 0.275.0 in Pokémon GO, some players noticed that their range of wild spawns had changed. It suddenly became much larger than before and allowed trainers to see more monsters in their vicinity and thus be able to catch them.
After trainers were initially pleased that this change would probably remain in the game long-term, Niantic clarified via Twitter on the evening of June 27, 2023, that this is not the case. They pointed out that this feature is indeed a mistake that will now be retracted.
One can read the following on Twitter: For some trainers, the current interaction radius may have increased. This was the unintended consequence of a bug fix meant to improve the Pokémon encounter experience when your device has a GPS deviation. We will revert this change, but we will consider your feedback to optimize the Pokémon encounter experience in the future.
Trainers are angry: Something that is fun, we cannot have
Why are the trainers so frustrated? After the changes were discovered by players, some were already skeptical. They could not imagine that Niantic had intentionally made this adjustment, as it was not communicated.
Their concerns were particularly heightened by the large wave of protests that occurred in 2021 regarding the PokéStop changes. In these cases, too, Niantic wanted to reduce the interaction radius to the stops, but ultimately gave in to the pressure from players.
On Tuesday, June 27, there was a brief moment of relief, as some content creators announced that Niantic had confirmed to them that the change would remain and the adjustment was proceeding as intended. This news was reported on a variety of sites like LeekDuck and PokéDaxi, which are generally regarded as reliable sources. The report from Niantic that it was indeed a mistake and will now disappear feels all the more frustrating.
How are the trainers reacting? In social networks, the statement is currently a major topic and generates little enthusiasm. Instead, the developers are receiving mockery and scorn for how they are handling this situation. Comments can be found on Reddit such as (via reddit.com):
- Previous_Beautiful27:
Quick! Something that is fun and liked by players! We cannot have that!
- MommotDE:
Dear trainers: We accidentally improved your gaming experience. Don’t worry, we will correct this shortly.
- JRE47:
So much for the confirmation from before… Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Niantic Labs, the fastest company in the world to respond to unintended gameplay (that positively affects players).
- jdpatric:
At this point, it’s incredibly predictable. I am using my Master Ball on the first Galar bird I see, in case they try to retract this one too.
Why this incorrect information came about is currently not known. For now, we can only hope that Niantic reconsiders this change – after all, feedback is to be taken into account according to the statement. Should there be new information about this, you will find it with us at MeinMMO.
What do you think of Niantic’s reaction? Did you also hope that this feature would remain permanently in the game? Let us know here at MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers.
In the coming weeks, a lot is happening in Pokémon GO again. We will show you all the events in July and which ones are worth it.
